Jumpin’ Jac aims to be back in a flash

The 20-year-old lock from Carmarthen has already had to overcome adversity more than once in his fledgling career, two ankle injuries and an enforced return from concussion are just blips on the radar as he plots his return to Parc y Scarlets via Nottingham in the Greene King IPA Championship.

Along with teammates Shaun Evans and Harri O’Connor, Price linked up with the Midlands outfit at the beginning of last month on loan to gain some valuable game time.

The results may not have been anything to write home about, with Nottingham yet to record a victory after three games, but Price is confident a change of fortunes isn’t too far away as they prepare to travel to Hartpury this weekend for what is expected to be another tough battle up front.

“There were a lot of new faces in the first couple of weeks and week by week we have been getting better but against Hartpury this weekend I think we will be flying.

“It’s been good here, it’s been nice to get some minutes under the belt – there is a massive difference between normal fitness and match fitness.

“When I first come up here I was looking forward to playing some regular rugby. It’s a good standard and there are a lot of good players in it. It’s been a good couple of weeks.

“Moving into a new place and meeting new people has also been good and it’s great to have the boys there as well.”

Big spending Ealing Trailfinders are unbeaten after four rounds but with a heavily congested midtable and a game in hand, Price is confident Nottingham can move up the table.

“There are only five points separating teams from sixth to 11th, so if you win a couple of games suddenly you have shot up the league.

“I’ve played three games, so have got up to speed and now I’m just trying to kick on really. I’m going to take it week by week to be honest and if I get a chance at the Scarlets, I’ll take it but for the time being I’m at Nottingham where I’m chuffed to get some game time.

“I have to be thankful for this opportunity as some boys are still just training and getting no game time at all so we’re grateful that there’s a few of us fortunate to get some games.”

Price was part of a large swathe of young Scarlets who claimed the rare scalp of New Zealand in Argentina in the U20 World Rugby Championship while representing Wales. Kemsley Mathias, Ryan Conbeer, Jac Morgan and second row partner Morgan Jones are just some of that group who have all gone on to play for the Scarlets over the past season.

Leaving age grade rugby and heading into the unchartered waters of full time senior regional rugby can be difficult to navigate but Price was determined to make his mark even if the odds were stacked against him.

“There are a lot of players with a lot of appearances for the Scarlets and international honours like Jake Ball, Sam Lousi and Lewis Rawlins so you just try and learn from them – just little things around the set-piece and around the park where you can have one or two tips from them a week and then you try and build your own game from that,” he said.

His diligence paid off with Price earning two appearances in friendlies against the Ospreys and Dragons to earn his spurs before making his Guinness Pro14 debut as a replacement against Edinburgh to ensure his boyhood dream came true. His rapid trajectory after two starts against Zebre and Ulster was then cruelly halted due to an ankle injury but he is delighted his partner in crime Morgan Jones has kicked on to earn headlines for his performances in the Scarlets second row.

“The family has always supported the Scarlets, we’ve always gone down there to support them, so it’s always been a dream to play for them, so it was a dream come true to actually play for them. Going down to watch them when you’re younger and then having a chance to play for the club was a massive honour,” he said.

“At the start of the season Morgan and I every week would do the opposition line-outs to run against the team and then all of a sudden we were both playing together for the actual team – obviously he has kicked on and it’s nice to see boys from the U20s going on and doing very well.

“I’m chuffed for Morgan’s progress, we both get on well and help each other out, for instance if I do something wrong he will tell me and vice versa. I think he is taller than me – just about – I’ll give him that. I’m about 6ft 6in and a half on a good day and he is 6ft 7in.”

Price says long term the Scarlets should benefit greatly from giving so many graduates from the Wales U20s a shot at regional rugby so early in their careers.

“We’re all good mates having come through the age grades together and we all sort of made the step up within the year, we’ve all kicked on together really. The Scarlets have given a few boys chances and I think all the boys have taken them and really kicked on, like Jac Morgan, Morgan Jones, Tom Rogers has just come back from injury and has played really well – as long as the boys keep taking their chances it will be good for the future.”

For the moment, Price is determined to enjoy life in the Midlands, having previously no rugby to look forward to during the pandemic.

“I found it pretty hard at the start, just training and obviously there were no games all week. Normally when you are training you have games to look forward to or aim for – our plan all week was to prep the team and have them ready for a game. I then had a couple of games and that was really nice to get – although I was blowing, my lungs didn’t really like it but it was great to get a couple of games under the belt early on in the season,” he recalled.

“I came off the bench against Edinburgh, I think I was only on for 15 minutes or so and I was running around and my lungs were all over the place. I then started against Zebre the week after and got knocked out just after halftime.

“I was on the bench against Ulster a couple of weeks after my concussion and then Sam Lousi pulled out just before the game and I was chucked in to start and then played the full 80 minutes.

“A couple of weeks later I done my ankle – during the U20s Six Nations I had an ankle injury and then I done my other ankle a few weeks after my first games for the Scarlets. It was quite a big blow because after playing a few games suddenly you’re knocked back again, but that’s rugby at the end of the day. I’ve still got plenty of time on my side.”